The Progress of Remember The Radio

by Charlie Sullivan

Not that progress is really necessary, because these guys have a niche that their rabid cult fans greatly appreciate, and this is another very good album. Remember The Radio rolls out their lo-fi magic once again with the release of “Owls From The Firewater”. The bands previous releases “ЯTR-001” (FEB 2013) and “Sharper Moon Rabbit” (DEC 2013) were more of a mishmash of really good songs with the exception of side one of “ЯTR-001” which was definitively a concept.  “Owls From The Firewater” takes on more form; the band takes the listener on a journey and moves in a different direction adding an acoustic twist slowing down the tempo from the start. The intro songs (Wherever We Live, First In Line) start slowly but by the time you hit track three the ever familiar quiet power of ЯTR has started to build and comes to the forefront on Estuary; an instantly memorable song with a Social D  power riff feel, and ending with the final track the melodic rocker Nails. The uniqueness of Jon Frailey’s otherworldly vocals and the bands inspired off-kilter tunings and angular guitar lines drenched in static that isn’t meant to be smoothed out still play a prominent role throughout the ten song thirty minute odyssey.

The noticeable change with this release is the melodic tempo of the music; the slow roll into that quiet power that has become synonymous with ЯTR’s music. I do wish some of these songs were a little longer but that’s just me being a little selfish; I love the way this band sounds. The songs are based on a series of dreams Frailey had in the summer of 2014 and were taken from an abstract perspective. The album was conceived as one piece written over a three week period. The album is available through a limited pressing of 500 LP’s and as a download at remembertheradio.com.

Tags: social distortion, charlie sullivan, remember the radio, Jon Frailey, Owls From The Firewater

Category: localnews2